Television

International industry experts to set the direction for the future of media and entertainment content in Asia at ATF 2015

MUMBAI: Asia TV Forum & Market (ATF) 2015, has announced that the industry’s notable business leader, D.J. Lee, President of CJ E&M Media Contents Business will be kicking off ATF’s pre-market conference as keynote speaker on 1 Dec 2015 at the Marina Bay Sands.

Keynote Speaker – D.J. Lee

As Asia's leading creation and marketing company, CJ E&M’s media division currently operates 17 television channels and provides approximately 3,000 hours of content a year to various diversified media platforms such as cable, IPTV, and digital media.

With an ambitious global expansion strategy along with initiatives such as digital-first original production under Lee’s guidance, CJ E&M rechristened their Multi-Channel Network (MCN) this year to DIA TV (Digital Influence & Artist TV) to focus on creating strategic business partnerships and opportunities with digital content creation platforms such as United States’ YouTube, China’s YouKu and France’s DailyMotion.By partnering content creators via the many digital platforms available, CJ E&M hopes to provide independent digital producers the opportunities to market their product by providing them with more support in areas such as funding, programming, digital rights management and cross-promotion.

A veteran in the broadcast industry in Korea, Lee has a career spanning more than 20 years in the television business. Before becoming the President of Asia’s leading content and media company, CJ E&M Media Content Business, Lee was a forerunner, pioneer and innovator of the Korean broadcasting industry, bringing Total Variety Network (tvN), the country’s leading content channel, to greater heights and surpassing Free-to-Air giants in terms of ratings and advertising revenue. Being the first to bring international formats into Korea to be localised, while also creating the first international Research & Development department, D.J. Lee has always been a forerunner in the industry, continually seeking to grow one of the region’s most successful broadcast industries.

With local broadcasting networks in Southeast Asia seeking to augment their original content, Lee’s address on the topic, Into the Future of Television: An Asian Empire’s Move Forward, will seek to provide insights based on his extensive experiences in cable, formats and the digital sphere.

Said Mr Lee, “Evolution and Adaptation are two key traits to have in an industry such as ours. Be it the successful localisation of international formats or integrating existing formats into brand new concepts, it is all about providing engaging and contemporary content for your audiences. It’ll be my first time speaking at ATF and I’m looking forward to meeting the entire entertainment content industry there.”

“With ATF being the premier platform for content providers, buyers and broadcasting networks all around the region, participants can look forward to engaging in knowledge transfer and interactive masterclasses as they learn insights from the industry's thought leaders through the conference, while the market promises endless possibilities for partnerships and content deals. Attendees can expect to get ahead of the curve with the valuable insights that D.J. Lee will share,” said Yeow Hui Leng, Senior Project Director of Asia TV Forum & Market and ScreenSingapore,Reed Exhibitions.

Empowering TV, Going Digital

As consumer patterns evolve and technological advancements continue to play a strong role in moulding viewer preferences, digital involvement will be a key aspect for buyers and sellers alike within the film and TV industry in the years ahead. In line with this growing trend, Christopher Smith, Head of Digital & Branded Content Asia, Endemol Beyond (Singapore) and Shane Mitchell, Head, Digital, MediaCorp (Singapore) will share insights on how industry players can continue to innovate in order to meet the changing consumer needs for new technologies.

With the growth of the digital age and seamless integration of all media types, it is important to understand the regional strategies, as well as possible barriers of entries, in achieving a fully integrated system. While content and brands engage in deeper conversations with the consumers through the proliferation of digital devices and platforms, the appropriate use of social media to increase engagement and generate traction will be crucial for the industry. Philip Kitcher, VP Asia Pacific, Stylehaul (USA) and Marini Ramlan, GM of Media Prima Digital (Malaysia), will join a panel of other speakers to tackle the various issues of the digital dimension. Leading regional OTT companies will also be speaking on the key regional strategies and deployment as well as the barriers of entry in the realm that thrives on seamlessness.

Other notable speakers during the pre-market conference include Steve Macallister, CEO, All3Media International (UK) and Dave Winnan, Executive Producer, International Formats, ITV Studios (UK), who will also join Qiu Yuan Yuan, General Manager, Jiangsu Broadcasting International Co., Ltd, for an insightful pairing of two significant pillars of the industry.

On the other hand of the spectrum, Maggie Xiong, Senior Director, International Acquisitions, Youku Tudou (China) and Jose Mari Abacan, 1st Vice President for Program Management, GMA Network, Inc. (Philippines), will join other panellists in a discussion about the evolution of the buyer market within the TV industry. During the session, they will provide information required into tailoring television productions to suit the wants and needs of various content buyers for various genres.

Engaging Formats, Reaching Younger Audience

2015 has been a turning point in the world television with the digital wave now touching TV formats business-wise. Formats players are pumping in significant budget for original engaging content production to build audience loyalty, identify talents, and increase intellectual property. Formats experts will be sharing on how the game will change in 2016 at Formats@ATF. With Asia’s hunger for kids’ content, the younger viewers have never had it so good. Danny Stack, Writer/Director (UK), will take participants through a masterclass that covers the main elements of good storytelling, which will not only engage children, but also audiences of all ages. Stack will share personal experiences of how he has coped and kept up with the evolution of television through the years, to continue writing and producing top-notch quality programmes such as Octonauts and Thunderbirds Are Go.

The future of Asian television is here, with digital formats paving the way. Embracing the power of digital platforms will be a key focus at this year’s ATF and participants will understand and learn how to better conceptualise the inner workings of the future of Asian television.

Participants can expect to glean a great deal of information from the many speakers and thought leaders that will be present at Asia TV’s premier conference and marketplace. The 2015 edition of the ATF promises to see an even bigger turnout as it returns as part of the second edition of the Singapore Media Festival, so be sure to purchase your tickets at www.asiatvforum.com to experience the future of Asian Television.